Obese, older and poorer Australians get more chronic diseases

May 15 2009

According to researchers at the University of Adelaide, in the past 15 years chronic diseases among older, lower income and obese Australians have increased significantly.

The researchers from the University's School of Medicine say after examining data from two Australian National Health Surveys, since the 1990s, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure have escalated among these groups.

Dr. Evan Atlantis and his colleagues, biostatistician Ms Kylie Lange and Professor Gary Wittert, Head of the University's School of Medicine, say health surveys done in 1989-1990 and 2004-05 show that people aged 60 and over, those in the lowest 40% income group and obese Australians are at much greater risk of chronic disease.

Dr. Atlantis says the findings are a concern because of Australia's burgeoning ageing population and more research needs to be done to understand why disease rates have increased in select groups.

Dr. Atlantis says around two-thirds of Australians are now at least overweight and/or don't engage in sufficient physical activity levels for health benefits and these are the people who are likely to be most affected by the rising rates of chronic diseases.

Dr. Atlantis has called for government policies that influence the quality and content of Australia's food supply and for increased opportunities for more recreational physical activity as he believes these two areas are key to improving the nation's health.

Dr. Atlantis says Australians and other developed nations live in toxic environments where cheap and convenient food choices dominate and more research is needed to ascertain whether more affordable fresh fruits and vegetables and improved urban environments and work culture would encourage more Australians to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Dr. Evan Atlantis will present the findings at the 2009 Heart Foundation Conference in Brisbane this week - the research was recently published in the international journal Obesity Reviews.